OMEGA Allegiance (9 page)

After a sweep of the damaged destroyers, the teardrop ships came hard for the transports. We entered the fight with all fifty fighters deployed. Laser fire and ion bolts filled the surrounding space as the three fleets merged. Five of the Adican fleet destroyers fell to the powerful lasers of the enemy ships as four teardrops exploded and went dark.

The crew of the
Heap
moved her forward. The eight multiblaster cannons got to work on taking out missiles. Garrett's auto-targeting algorithms worked well, but the missiles were too numerous.

Jack Carson was in his element. As we pulled beside the transport harboring my previous charge, our gunner took out an enemy ship as it closed on our position.

Jack yelled over the comm. "Keep those transports in formation! Don't break away or you are dead!
Halle
and
Karrish
, circle behind that ship that's holding back! That's their command ship! Take it out and the others will break off!"

A teardrop closed on our position. Our main gunner fired a bolt that struck the ship dead center. A bright flash told of the inside of the ship being gutted; its empty shell went spinning forward, zipping past our bow.

I pressed my comm button. "Garrett! We have the transport covered. Head for that command ship!"

Garrett replied, "On it! Give me a minute and we'll have them on the run!"

The Adican transports continued to take damage from the teardrops as our destroyers and fighters returned fire. When our first sweep through the fleets had completed, sixteen teardrop ships had been destroyed. The powerful lasers, while damaging to our much thicker hulls, were not cutting through. As our two destroyers circled in on the attacking command ship, Garrett attacked it head on.

A short engagement saw the powerful ion cannon of the
Jess
doing severe damage. The command ship attempted to break away, only to be caught from behind by our two destroyers. As the ship spread into thousands of small pieces, the remaining teardrops broke from the attack and headed back towards where they had come from.

When the fighting ended, a casualty count by Go told of the bad news. "The Adican fleet lost nineteen transports. That's almost four hundred thousand of their people! They have four destroyers that can keep up, and sixteen that are too severely damaged."

I looked at Jack. "Where do they send damaged ships?"

Jack shook his head. "No assistance is offered, they are on their own with instructions to make it to Doomlight. They will fight with what they have!"

I turned to Go. "See if you can get a full account of the damage to those ships. If any can be brought back online within two hours, we stay here until that happens."

Jack again shook his head. "Command is not going to like that. They run their attacks and counter attacks on a timetable. You screw with that timetable and the enemy will take that as a sign of weakness and attack."

I paced back and forth on the deck of the bridge. "If what you say is true, that there will be another fleet to contend with when we arrive, we will need every ship in the fight we can get. I want those Adican troops down there on the surface where they at least have a fighting chance. As long as they are in those transports they are as good as dead in a space fight."

Go pushed a casualty image to the display. "It looks like we could bring at least four of those ships back to full speed in the time allotted, possibly six. The others, there is no way."

I gestured to Go. "Make it happen! You run the coordination of the repairs. Mr. Carson, you can take the nav during our repair window. I want all ships moving towards Doomlight at the fastest possible speed of our slowest ship!"

I opened a comm channel to Garrett. "No reason for us to stay silent anymore, Garrett. Get aboard that transport and get to Joni. It's time we had her right here with us."

Garrett smiled. "You don't have to ask me twice. I'm pulling into the docking bay right now. The
Jess
is a tight squeeze, but she fits. I'll give you a shout when I connect."

Jack half smiled. "Sounds like you have accomplished your mission."

I replied, "Only halfway. We still have to get her back to the Triangulum."

A comm channel opened. "Knog? Why did you follow me out here?" Joni said.

I stood looking at the image of Joni Salton on the large holo-display. A wave of emotion washed over me for several seconds.

"I said I would look after you. I was responsible for your safety and I failed to maintain that on Adicus."

Joni shook her head. "You did nothing wrong, and everything right that night. Your efforts kept me alive. And your guidance brought me to where I am. I finally have a real calling, Knog. I can thank you for that."

I replied, "You do know that you are heading into a war that will bring almost certain death. Both to you and to the Adicans."

Joni nodded. "I've pledged to do my best by them. After the fight on Adicus was over, they cared for me until I was back on my feet. I listened to their plight and decided I wanted to do right by them, even if it was my family who was doing wrong. They are good people, Knog. They only wanted to live in peace and control their own destiny. They weren't looking to export their rebellion or take anything from anyone else."

Garrett spoke. "Get this. She told them who she was and they accepted her for that. They have a council of four that took over governance and they made her the fifth because she continuously came down on the side of fairness. When the conscription came, she made them promise to not reveal her identity to her uncle's people."

Joni continued, "Fighting with and for these people is what I was meant to do, Knog. If you think I'm just giving up so you can take me back to my family, I can tell you now that it's not going to happen. You were the first person I knew who really went out of their way to try to do what was right. That stuck with me. I know that leaves you in a difficult situation with the exile, and when I return I will do my best to remedy that, but right now I have to help these people to fight and to survive. That's my destiny."

I replied, "Can you at least come with Garrett over to this ship? I would like to see you in person."

Joni pursed her lips. "Only if you promise you won't try to take me back unwillingly. Promise me that and I will come over."

I nodded. "Very well. I will not be a part of any effort to return you without your approval, unless of course at some point you become incapacitated. If that were to happen, the decision falls to me."

Joni smiled. "Fair enough. I need a few minutes here and I'll come over with Garrett."

I paced the deck for several minutes in anticipation. When Joni came onto the bridge with Garrett, I walked to her and swallowed her in my arms, a deep hug that lasted for nearly a minute.

Joni released her grip and looked up with a grin. "OK. I get it. I'm happy to see you too. I can only say thanks for pursuing me out here. I think we would have already been dead back there if not for your help. Without it we would have been little more than galligs heading to slaughter."

I removed my arms from around her and looked down at the deck by my feet. An excited Raptor was lying on his back squirming, exposing his underbelly, waiting for a belly rub. I knelt down and ran my hand across his soft belly as his nub of a tail wiggled in delight.

I looked up at Joni. "You can thank Garrett as well. He is equally as responsible for us being here."

Joni wiped her lips as she looked down and smiled. "I thanked him on the way over."

Garrett turned a light shade of red. "I would do it all again. The question now is, what do we do from here out?"

I stood and returned to my chair. "Well, we promised Jack to get him safely down to the surface so he can attempt to find his people. After that, I think we either try to find a way back to the Triangulum, or we see to it that we win this war."

Jack smirked. "This Doomlight war has been going on for three years. You just going to sweep in and end it all on your own?"

I replied, "If that's what it takes, yes. I can't safely return to the Triangulum without her. Especially since I left my exile to Omega. Neither can you for that matter. If Joni Salton is staying here to fight, I will fight by her side."

Jack took a deep breath. "Wow. You know it's not often that I feel humbled by someone. You are one of a kind, Knog Beutcher. If I can find my family and somehow get them to safety, I will come back to join your team."

I slowly nodded. "It's you who humble me, Jack Carson. You have been out here fighting for us for the last five years. Who else can say that?"

Jack laughed. "Yeah, while I'm flattered by that thought, you have to remember that I didn't come out here knowing what I was getting myself into. The Organization left out a few of the important details, like there was no going back. My fight has been more about keeping myself and my crew alive than about protecting anyone else."

I shook my head. "I think your record says otherwise. Welcome to Humbletown, Mr. Carson!"

Joni pointed. "Well, Mr. Carson, you are the only one who has seen action out here. What can you tell me about being down on the surface? How can we best prepare?"

Jack sat down and rubbed his chin. "Keep in mind that all I have seen is what's at the landing zone. The rest of it is secondhand hearsay from other captains. From what I know, you unload, you are taken into housing where you receive most of a day of instruction, after which you are moved up to the front. They don't just throw you in there though, you are merged in and slowly moved to the front as casualties mount. I wish I could say something that would give you hope, but for the past three years it has been all kill or be killed.

"As I said to Mr. Beutcher and the others, from what I have heard, you blast away at the enemy position until your unit's ammo is spent, and then you charge out for hand-to-hand combat."

Joni asked, "What about the ships? Aren't they involved in the ground battle?"

Jack shook his head. "Nope. For some unknown reason, both sides have decided to not use ships down on the surface. If your transport makes it through the fleet in orbit, they let you disembark and go to the front. I know, it doesn't make any sense, but that's what they do. I've heard some nonsense about respecting the battlefield. Somehow, someone determined that it wasn't an honorable thing to attack ground troops with ships, and somehow both sides agreed not to do it. Of course, you see where we are after three years of fighting."

Joni scowled. "Well that's just ludicrous! I'm not going to be a part of someone's interpretation of a polite war where both sides are just sending in people to the slaughter! If we hit the ground we are going for the win! Who are the generals in charge?"

Jack winced. "The same ones that have been fighting this war from the beginning. They sit in a command post in the center of one of the originally captured cities. From what I hear, they have it pretty good there. For that matter, I hear the other side has a similar setup."

Joni balled up her fist. "Well, they better get ready for a change. How far is it from the landing area to the command post?"

Jack thought as he looked up at the holo-display. "I would guess it's about seventy-five kilometers. I'll pull up the surface maps."

An image of the planet's surface where the battles were being fought came into view. "This is the front, along these low ridges. The valleys in between, that's where the hand-to-hand happens. When one side claims victory, both send people out to carry off their dead. The loser falls back to the ridge behind them while the winner advances. Back here is the landing area and back here again is the command post."

Jack swiped at the map, displaying the enemy side. "This is where the enemy lands, and this is their command post, seventy kilometers back in this city. I've sometimes wondered if the generals from both sides don't meet up somewhere each day for dinner and drinks. It wouldn't surprise me if they did. Of course, I say all this without firsthand knowledge."

Joni stood looking at the map. "Other than no ships fighting in the ground war, what other rules do they have?"

Jack replied, "None that I have ever heard."

Joni pointed. "What if we were to set the transports down over here instead?"

Jack shrugged. "Those won't be your orders."

Joni puffed up her chest. "As the Supreme Commander of the Adican forces, I will be countermanding the orders of the generals. We won't be playing their game today."

Jack laughed. "I have to say I like the sound of that. Plop those transports down in their landing zone and come in from behind them or something?"

I shook my head as I stepped closer to the map. "No. If we are going to do this, we cut off the head of the snake. Assault their command post and demand a complete surrender of their forces."

Jack again rubbed his chin. "They have air defenses at both the landing area and the command post. I don't think they are extensive—ours certainly aren't—but you would lose the majority of your transports before hitting the ground."

Joni looked at me. "How many of those small ships do you have?"

I replied, "The fighters?"

Joni nodded.

I pulled up a list. "We have forty-eight still."

Joni half smiled. "Perfect. We attach one of those fighters to the hull of each transport. When we get past the orbiting fleet we use the weapons on the fighters to take out the air defenses. Should I assume the ground troops guarding the command posts can be overrun?"

Jack nodded. "They are minimal. At least from what I've heard and seen on our side."

Joni stepped back for a bigger look at the map. "I think we have a plan."

I edged close to Joni. "Are you sure you want to do this? There may be consequences for breaking the rules, even if they are unwritten ones."

Joni slapped me on the back. "Knog, I'm just trying to do what you taught me. Make a plan and take action if you want to get things done. Once that action is underway, make adjustments as necessary. Isn't that what you told me time and time again?"

I thought for a moment and nodded. "I did. But we are talking about war here, not the inspection of a ship you suspect of smuggling bleurgh. This is millions of lives we are dealing with."

Joni smiled. "It is millions of lives. Millions on both sides. If we capture their leadership, the fighting on this planet may end in a single day. How many lives would that save?"

Garrett stepped up. "I think she's right, Knog."

Jack followed. "I'm with them. This bizzaro war has gone on long enough. This could bring about a quick end."

Joni looked up at me for approval.

"I won't stand in your way if that's what you are wondering," I said. "What I think each of you should spend some time on is what you will do as a contingency if things begin to go wrong, and what you do next if things go right. Those two scenarios should be a big part of your plan. Especially given the magnitude of what it is you are about to do. Three quarters of this planet's population still resides here. What of them?"

Joni held up her hands. "They join the New Alliance as citizens."

I replied, "And if they say no?"

Joni shrugged. "I don't know, we offer them transportation to another planet?"

I frowned. "And if they refuse?"

Joni scowled. "I don't know. This is war. What choices do they have, and why should they have a choice? They are the losers. Would we have a choice if we lost?"

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "All I am saying is don't rush into this without contingencies. The more things you plan for, the higher your chance of success. For what it's worth, I like the idea of taking out their leadership. This war sounds like it's being fought for no other reason than for the entertainment and sustainment of the generals on each side. I have to wonder if your uncle knows what's really going on here."

Joni nodded. "He never gave me any indication that he was into wasting resources, including lives. By conscripting whole colonies he is losing billions in taxes he could be collecting. It could be these generals are playing the system. After all, if they have to move to another planet to attack or defend it, that's got to be a lot of effort they have to put forth. Why try so hard to win if the other side isn't?"

I smiled. "I'm glad to see you are well, Joni Salton. We have two days more before we get close to Doomlight. Go back to the Adicans and plan out every detail you can think of. I will do the same. I suggest we meet up twice a day to go over ideas. Take your council, fill them in with what you have. Have them split into groups of their own for several hours and then meet back up to consolidate any ideas they came up with. Repeat that process and you will have a respectable set of ideas to bring to our meet-ups."

Joni nodded. "I can do that. I should get back and get the process started. We don't have much time."

With that, Joni turned towards the doorway.

I placed my hand on Garrett's shoulder. "Is she going to flap her arms to get back to her ship?"

Garrett shook his head. "I guess that means I'm her ride back, aren't I."

I gestured towards the door. "Spend the time with her. Try to keep her focused when she gets frustrated, because she will. As she gains experience, those feelings of frustration will turn into determination. See to it that she feels supported and she will excel at planning this out. Use your experience to help her define what it is she is trying to accomplish with any idea. That support will be critical to the process, and she will be grateful for it."

Garrett smiled, pointed and nodded. "You wouldn't be trying to play matchmaker, would you?"

I shook my head and offered my usual deadpan expression. "We have a war to fight, Garrett. What happens personally between you and Miss Salton is your own business."

Garrett, winked as he turned towards the doorway. "I've got my eye on you, Beutcher. I have a good idea of what makes you tick."

I smiled. "Just looking out for everyone's best interests."

I turned to find Jack Carson staring at me. "So those two are an item?"

I replied, "They are young and they are caught up in something much bigger than they have ever had to deal with. If they can lean on each other a bit, it will help them each to make better decisions."